2007 Open Show Report

STAMPS First Open Show 2007
One of the first things our new club decided at its second meeting in February was to hold an open show. The lack of shows in the TTAA area prompted this decision as it was hoped that another show in the area would reawaken the interest in fishkeeping of a decade ago. There has been conscious effort this year from all TTAA societies to try and revive the TTAA Championship held at the TTAA open show. To this end, judges have nominated fish for TTAA Specials as well as FBAS Specials to encourage more exhibitors to enter what was, and is hoped to be in the future, a prestigious event.
Since the start of the show season in April, Bede Kerrigan, Ken Scott, John Douthwaite, & David Marshall of Rydale club, have acted as ambassadors for the show advertising it at ever opportunity. Their work paid off as STAMPS had the most entries for a TTAA Open Show this year. Exhibitors and guests came from afar a field as Dumfries in the north to Portsmouth in the south.
Both FBAS Championship Classes were very well supported with Bede Kerrigan winning Class L with a Sewellia lineolata , and R&K Kirkup winning Class E with a Ctenopoma acutirostre . R&K Kirkup also won best in show with an unusual Limia yaguajali . Miss Amy Charters of STAMPS made a clean sweep of the Junior Class, winning all 4 awards. In all there were 6 FBAS Specials awarded and in total 16 fish became eligible for the TTAA Championship class next year.
John Cowan (FNAS), Tom Gray, Alan Race and Peter Wright, who coped with a difficult situation, undertook judging admirably. In many classes, a mere 4 points separated 1st to 4th place, and points in the high 80s were common.
Alec Morrison & Norman Banks, judged the timing of an over subscribed auction to perfection, finishing their auctioneering stint just before the 5 o’clock deadline. Bob Henson, Rose Jackson, Rob Jackson & Steve Horn kept a check of the lots and paid out the money.
STAMPS would like to thank all of our sponsors and the people who helped to make our first show such a success.

SPONSORS
Algarde
Aqua Pacific UK
Aquarian
Arcadia Products
Charles Young Centre
FBAS
JBL Ltd
Jewel Aquarium
King British
David Marshall
New Era Aquaculture
Rosewood
Tetra
Tyne Trophies Ltd
Wasps
Waterlife
ZM Fish food